Chansons des Negres d'Amerique
Paris: Heugel, 1933. First edition. 4to, [iv], 19 pp., original printed wraps.
The fourth, final, and most iconoclastic part of Tiersot's ethnomusical work on African music, the American section. It includes a short foreward by Tiersot on African American music, along with transcriptions of 9 songs, including "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and the Creole song Michie Preval. Tiersot was a pioneer of ethnomusicology and a iconoclastic scholar who challenged the racist, hierarchical assumptions institutionalized in musical scholarship to that time; the present work is an important milestone in scholarship concerning African American music and spirituals and Creole music. Uncommon, especially in the original wraps.
The binding is delicate and the signatures are pulling away from the wraps, but still holding by the threads; Previous owner's rubberstamp to cover, publisher's rubberstamp and price change rubberstamped to title page. Some paper adhesion to cover from old sticker, some minor creasing to tips and a touch of rubbing to spine ends, else very good. Item #19271
Price: $85.00